Gutter hanger



June l1', l1935. A'l-l. B, FEL'fM/-N GUTTER HANGER Filed Feb. 24, 1935- 2 shetsfsheet- 1- June ll', 1935. HfKB. FELTMA'N 2,004,861

GUTTER HANGER Filed Feb. 24, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 11, 1935 UNirED STATES 2,004,861 GUTTER HANGERv Howard B. Feltman, `Wyncote, Pa., assigner to Berger Brothers Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 24,`1933,Serial No. 658,423

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in xtures of the type employed for suspending drain gutters or troughs under the eaves of buildings, and theobject of my invention is to provide a hanger fixture of the stated character which may be attached to the supporting structure more rapidly and withgreater safety, and which may be more readily and accurately aligned than the corresponding iixtures of the prior art.

In the attached drawings:

Figure l is a view in perspective of a hanger xture made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which the fixture Shown in Fig. 1 is attached to the supporting structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating a detail of the iixture;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views in perspective of fixture plates corresponding to that Shown in Fig. l and illustrating modifications of this element within the scope of the invention;

Fig. '7 is a viewfin perspective of another form of hanger fixture made in accordancey with my invention;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the manner in which the fixture shown in Fig. 7 is attached to the supporting structure, and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9'-9, Fig. 7, and shows in addition a portion of a support structure to which the iixture' is attached.

With reference to Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, I have therein illustrated a Well known form of fixture employed for suspending drain troughs or gutters to the eaves of buildings. This fixture, known in the trade as a shank, comprises in the illustrated form a plate l to which is attached a depending stem 2. In the present instance a tongue 3 is pressed out of the body or" the plate at right angles thereto, and the stem 2 is attached to this projecting tongue by means of a rivet Li. edges with apertures 5 for reception of nails or other elements by means of which the plate is secured to the eaves of the building, as illustrated in Figs.` 2 and 3, the supporting structure being designated by the reference numeral The stem 2 of the shank in the present instance takes the form of a channel. having a series of openings 1 providing for passage of bolts or rivets (not shown) by means of which a gutter-supporting circle may be attached to the shank, as indicated by broken lines. The general form and manner of use oi this device is well known in the art and requires no further description.

The plate I is provided at its vertical The operation of attaching iixtures of this character to buildings must frequently be conducted from a ladder. The Shanks `are generally spaced from two to three feet apart, and it is the natural and common practice for a workman to attachas manyshanks from one position oi the ladder as may be possible, tol thereby avoid the necessity of numerous readjustmentsoi the ladder. Even at best, the position of the workman is apt to be awkward or constrained, and since it is necessary to hold the shank as well as the at taching nails in one hand to thereby leave the other hand free to wield the hammer, the operation is usually a slow one and frequently dangerous. Working under the disadvantageous conditions, it is also extremely difficult to accurately locate the shank in the structure in its properly aligned position preparatory to driving the securing nails, and since accurate alignment of the Shanks is highly important by reason of the necessity for maintaining the proper grade oi the gutter, the shank-securing operation is still further complicated. Also by reason of the difficulty of locating the shank preparatory to driving the securing nails, it frequently happens that the shank or nail slips from the hand, with attendant annoyance and loss of time.

By my invention, I have provided simple, inexpensive and highly eiective means for overcoming in large degree these many disadvantages. The operation of attaching the shank to the supporting structure is greatly facilitated, the danger involved is reduced, and the accuracy of the work improved.

, With reference to Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that I have punched out of the plate l, approximately at the center thereof and projecting at the side opposite that from which the stem 2 is attached, a pointed teat 9, the plane of this teat in the present instance lying substantially in the plane with the long or horizontal side of the plate. This teat, which is a fixed part of the shank structure, constitutes a means Wherebythe plate I and, infact, the entire shank may be readily and accurately located or fixed in the supporting structure prior to the driving of the nails or other permanent securing elements through the holes 5. In attaching the shank, it is unnecessary to utilize any of the permanent securing elements which form no fixed part of the shank, since by placing the shank in its proper position against the supporting structure with the pointed teat 9 in contact With the latter, and by thereafter striking with a hammer the opposite face of the shank at a point opposite the teat 9, this teat is made to penetrate the Wood of the supporting structure to therebydenitelylocate or fix the shank in the'supporting structure preparatory to the driving of the nails or other permanent securing elements throughthel apertures 5. While the teat 9 is capable of firmly retaining the shank in position upon the structure prior to the drivingof the securing nails, itstill permits minor angular or other adjustments of the shank into a properly aligned position before the permanent securing elements are driven. In `this respect, the device permits inspection and accurate adjustment of the shank before the permanent securing elements are applied. y

This device While simple in form eiects a substantial improvement in the characteristics of p the xture, in that it greatly facilitates the operation of attaching the xture to `the eaves, ren-- ders alignment of the fixture a relatively simple matter, and generally reduces the hazards involved in attaching xtures of this character.

It will be apparent that the invention in principle is capable of other embodiments than that described above, and in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, I have illustrated modifications in the shankk within the scope of the invention. In Fig. 4, the single teat 9 of the previously described embodiment is replaced by a pair of teats II, Il located at the center of the upper and lower edges of the plate; the plate shown in Fig. 5 is provided withv four teats I2 located respectively at the four corners of the plate; While in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the two teats I3 are stamped lout of the material of the plate after the manner of the teat 9 in the embodiment first described, but the teats I3 in this instance are so located that the openings Iii left in the plate by displacement of the teats I3 may constitute apertures forreception of the permanent securing elements. A series of such apertures are desirable by reason of the added simplicity of attaching the device to the structure, wherein conditions frequently are such as to prevent the use of one or more of the apertures for nailing purposes.

VWood of the supporting structure Vor fix the shank therein preparatory to driving connection with the embodiment shown in Figs.

1,2 and 3. With reference to Figs. 7 and 9, it will be noted that the shank I5 is provided with a pair of punched-out and preferably pointed teats I8, which are adapted to penetrate` the I8 to locate of the permanent ,securing means. The advantages of the invention in its application to this form of xture are similar to those previously set forth. i

It Will be understood thatv there may be still further modifications and applications of my invention to fixtures of this general character without departure from the invention.

I claim:

A gutter hanger xture of the type comprising a plate adapted to be secured against'an exposed surface of an eaves structure underneaththe roof overhang, said plate having apertures for passage of securing elements therethrough, said fixture comprising also a stem at one face of and depending from said plate and adapted to receive a gutter-supporting circle, and a projection on the opposite face of said plate located adjacent said apertures and in substantial alignment with the stem whereby impact on the latter is transmitted by direct thrust to said projection to cause theprojection to penetrate the eaves structure to thereby fix the fixture in a normal permanent position preparatory to entering said securing elements, said projection being above the center of Weight of the entire fixture.

1 HOWARD B. FELTMAN. 

